Diemante J. Roberts, 15, remained in custody at the Falkenburg Road Jail on Thursday, records showed, his bail set at $15,000.

Earlier Thursday, two of the other young defendants were released after being fitted with ankle monitors.

Lee Louis Myers, 14, and Raymond A. Price-Murray, 14, were transferred to the county Work Release Center and escorted home by deputies, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

A fourth suspect, Randall John Moye III, 14, was released to his father Wednesday night while the others waited for their homes to be equipped with monitoring equipment. Moye is exempt from having to wear an ankle monitor because he lives in Lake County with his father. If the boy moves back to Hillsborough, he would wear a tracking device as well.

The suspects were arrested May 6 and released from juvenile detention the next day under house arrest. On Wednesday, they surrendered to face adult charges, and pleaded not guilty to four counts each of sexual battery.

They're accused of using a hockey stick and broom handle to sexually assault a 13-year-old flag football teammate in the school locker room. Prosecutors say four assaults occurred between March 1 and April 29.

Prosecutors had asked Hillsborough Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman to set bail at $30,000 for each suspect — $15,000 apiece for two of the charged offenses against each boy — then forgo bail for the remaining two charges and release the teens on their own recognizance, with electronic monitoring.

According to guidelines followed by Hillsborough judges, bail can be set at $15,000 for a first-degree felony.

Timmerman elected to set bail at just $15,000 for each teen and ordered that they be monitored electronically. He also warned them not to have any contact with the victim, one another or any potential witnesses.

Kevin Graham can be reached at kgraham@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3433.

Student suspects in Walker Middle School rape case trickle out of jail and head home with their electric monitors 06/04/09
[Last modified: Thursday, June 4, 2009 10:48pm]
Photo reprints | Article reprints